SOSSA pelagic off Wollongong, 26th August 2012
Report prepared by Nikolas Haass
Highlight: At the shelf break, an Australian Fur-Seal checked us out and after looking into everybody’s face it decided to present its latest tricks. Nice show!
Birds:
Wandering Albatross (exulans): 1 (1)
Gibson’s Albatross (antipodensis gibsoni): 1 (1)
Black-browed Albatross: many (not a single Campbell Albatross)
Shy/White-capped Albatross: many (some were very fresh juveniles, possibly steadi)
Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross: 3 (3)
Fairy Prion: 1 (1)
Wedge-tailed Shearwater: many
Fluttering Shearwater: many (10-20% of all Fluttering-types, in contrast to the Newcastle sightings the same weekend)
Hutton’s Shearwater: hundreds (80-90% of all Fluttering-types, in contrast to the Newcastle sightings the same weekend)
Common Diving-petrel: 1 (only seen and photographed by one observer)
Australasian Gannet: many
Little Black Cormorant: 10 (1 at the shelf break)
Australian Pelican: present
Brown Skua: 1 (1)
White-fronted Tern: 12
Common Tern: 2+
Crested Tern: many
Kelp Gull: 3 adult
Silver Gull: hundreds
19 species sighted outside the harbour
Striated Heron: 1 (at the harbor entrance)
Sooty Oystercatcher: 1 (1)
Mammals:
Australian Fur-seal: 1
Short-beaked Common Dolphin: many
Reptiles:
Unidentified turtle: 1